Three B1G Keys For Ohio State Against Indiana

B1G Key No. 1 – Absorb the Hype

First year Indiana head coach Tom Allen has already called the home opener on Thursday night “the biggest home opener in the history of Indiana football.” That’s actually not a stretch folks. Especially seeing how the only three-pointers will be fired from a hash mark rather than an arc.

Combine that with former Hoosier head coach Kevin Wilson turned OSU offensive coordinator’s return to Bloomington, and there’s some deep emotions that’ll be on display. Ohio State will need to stay composed, absorb any initial thrust from the home-standing Hoosiers, and let the talent eventually take over.

B1G Key No. 2 – Establish the Aerial Assault

Ryan Day changed how J.T. Barrett thinks about risk, and it might be Ohio State's key to winning it all https://t.co/OQhppGnEBJ

Indiana would love to know what’s in Ohio State’s wallet. After all, there were times where air miles were blacked out in Columbus. That was before Ryan Day and Kevin Wilson were brought in to fix that little problem.

There’s no doubt the Hoosier coaching staff will make Ohio State prove that there’s been progress made by keying on the run first and foremost. OSU might need to establish the real threat of the passing game to loosen things up on the ground.

B1G Key No. 3 – Bring the Pressure

Ohio State just might have the deepest, most-talented defensive line in the country. That’s good because there are wholesale changes in the back-end with the departure of several key defensive backs.

Indiana quarterback Richard Lagow would love to exploit the perceived weakness via the air, but has shown a tendency to get rattled when the clock in his head is set to fast-forward.

Buckeye defensive coordinator Greg Schiano is a sure bet to try let his D-Line get to Lagow with a dominating front push and drop others back in coverage. If that’s not working, look for him to dial up some pressure packages.

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Phil Harrison is the lead Big Ten writer for College Football News. Get his opinion and analysis all year long. Follow him on Twitter @PhilHarrisonCFB